An automatic teller machine (ATM) is an apparatus assisting basic finance services such as deposit and withdrawal of money without a bank teller in various places and time. ATMs are classified into a cash dispenser and a cash dispenser and receiver. Recently, the ATMs are used to deposit and withdraw checks as well as cash, to update a bankbook, for giro transfers, to issue tickets, and so forth.
Currently, the ATMs are being widely used in banks and other financial agencies. More convenient the ATMs, the more the customers will use the ATMs. The use of ATMs as well as the amount of money involved in each financial transaction is also increasing.
Since the ATM having only one function of dispensing cash transfers preset types of bank notes as much as a input amount of money to a cash dispensing outlet, the ATM can perform normal financial transaction unless jamming of the bank note and/or abnormal transfer of two bank notes at a time. However, the ATM having a function of receiving cash must check things other than the jamming and the abnormal transfer of two bank notes for normal financial transaction. For example, whether other types of bank notes or a forged bank note is inserted, a crumpled or damaged bank note is inserted, and a correct direction of bank notes must be checked. Moreover, since customers are not familiar with the ATM, there is some possibility of mishandling of the causing more frequent malfunction of the ATM.
Particularly, checks have high face values, frequently counterfeited, and differently from cash in that it may lose its value in a case of a dishonored check. Thus, more careful handling of checks is needed that cash. Currently, serial numbers of the check are checked for validity whenever receiving the check.
Checks accumulated in the ATM are transferred one by one individually. For example, a conventional check transfer unit includes a pickup roller, a feed roller, and a guide roller. The check transfer unit transfers the checks by picking up one of the accumulated checks with the pickup roller and transferring the picked check along a transferring path while passing the feed roller and the guide roller. The checks are transferred to a storage unit via a transferring path and accumulated in the storage unit one by one individually.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional receiver module 110 of an ATM 101 to determine whether to reject or store a check.
The check received through a receiving unit 102 and being transferred along the transferring path 120 passes a contact image sensor (CIS) and a magnetic ink character reader (MICR) located on the transferring path 120 such that information on the check is read, then turns at an upper corner of the transferring path 120 to standby in a stack 130. The information obtained from the check is checked during the standby in the stack 130 and the check is transferred into an insertion path 140 and stored in a storage unit 150 when the check is valid. When the check is not valid, the check is reversely transferred to the upper transferring path 120 and is rejected out through the receiving unit 102.
In order to smoothly transfer checks in the conventional device, the stack 130 must have a height as high as a length of the check and thus the ATM has a minimum height equal to a height adding the height of the stack 130 and the height of the storage 150. Thus, it is difficult to miniaturize the ATM.